Q&A: District 5 candidates for Memphis City Council talk priorities, experience
As Worth Morgan leaves his District 5 seat on the Memphis City Council due to term limits, three candidates are seeking to take his place.
All but two seats on the Memphis City Council are contested in this year's election, scheduled for Oct. 5 with early voting running from Sept. 15 through Sept. 30.
The Commercial Appeal reached out to each candidate running for City Council to ask for written answers to questions about background and priorities if elected.
To read responses from candidates for other City Council districts, click here.
To see a full list of all the candidates who qualified for the upcoming Memphis Municipal Election, click here.
Responses have been edited for length and AP style.
Luke Hatler
Q: What is your background and any experience relevant to this elected office?
A: I am a senior at White Station High School. I have served as class president and student body president at various times throughout my time as a student, most recently as junior class president. In that role, I spearheaded an effort to reform our dress code and to make our student government more representative. I also got menstrual pads supplied to our ladies' rooms by working with the nonprofit Sister Supply. Additionally, I serve on the BRIDGES organization’s youth advisory board.
Q: Why are you running for this position?
A: I am running for City Council because I believe Memphis is being run in the interest of developers and the wealthy, while regular and underprivileged people are left behind by our city government. I want to change that.
Q: What would three of your top priorities be for your district if elected?
A: If elected I would advocate for:
Revitalizing and investing in Memphis Housing Authority so we can develop affordable housing instead of just housing developments for the wealthy.
Fighting for ranked-choice voting, so that our elections can result in leaders that unite, not those that are only supported by a third of the population.
Introducing a nurse corps to the Memphis Police Department to better focus our resources, with armed police officers being focused on violent crime and nurses being sent to respond to mental health emergencies.
Q: What do you believe are the greatest challenges facing Memphis?
A: The greatest challenges for Memphis are major quality of life and income inequality, rampant disinvestment in social services, poverty that keeps the majority of our people down and the slow move to oligarchy (rule by the wealthy few).
Meggan Wurzburg Kiel
Q: What is your background and any experience relevant to this elected office?
A: Born and raised in Memphis, an alumna of St. Mary’s and lifelong member at Temple Israel, I returned home to raise my family nearly 20 years ago. I have connected students throughout the city to college and career opportunities, including building the award-winning post-secondary counseling department at The Soulsville Charter School. More recently, I recruited over 40 congregations, unions and nonprofits to create Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope to connect everyday residents to local government on issues that impact us all.
Q: Why are you running for this position?
A: I feel called to serve the city I love “for such a time as this.” I see so much potential in our people, neighborhoods and businesses, and I believe my relationships across the city will allow me to understand what Memphians want and build durable solutions supported broadly. I will bring new energy and new ideas to the City Council, as well as the same dedication I’ve shown throughout my career to confront challenges and expand opportunities.
Q: What would three of your top priorities be for your district if elected?
A: Everything begins with safety. We must take short-term steps to stop the violence plaguing our community and make long-term investments to sustain safer neighborhoods, roads and businesses. A safer tomorrow for Memphis depends on the opportunities we can create for Memphians today — building on efforts in youth literacy, investing in transit and ensuring safe and affordable housing. I would prioritize a similar approach to infrastructure —taking immediate steps to keep people’s lights on while making proactive investments in modernization.
Q: What do you believe are the greatest challenges facing Memphis?
A: So many of Memphis’s challenges, including crime, education, and economic development, are rooted in the challenges of poverty. Too many Memphians are struggling to survive and contribute to our community. Now is the time to invest in workforce development to connect people in need of better training and jobs to businesses and employment opportunities. We need leaders who will put Memphians first and pursue durable solutions — this is what I’ve done for nearly 20 years, work I will continue on City Council.
Philip Spinosa
Q: What is your background and any experience relevant to this elected office?
A: I am a native Memphian who grew up in the Raleigh-Bartlett area. I am a proud alumnus of St. Ann Catholic School (1992) and Christian Brothers High School, class of 1996. Husband and father of two sons. 16+ year career at FedEx. Former City Councilman. Former Memphis Chamber of Commerce Executive. I have successfully started and built my business here in Memphis. I am humbled to have a track record of success legislating and working with people from all parts of our city/country to overcome differences and build a consensus to move forward together.
Q: Why are you running for this position?
A: To change the course of our city’s current trajectory. Activists and radicals have somehow gotten into office and steered our city off track. I love this city and I am not going anywhere. I am excited to go back downtown and work with everyone, across all districts, to share in future successes and find the good within our community. No matter where you live in Memphis, we all want the same things: Security, safety and opportunities for our families to succeed.
Q: What would three of your top priorities be for your district if elected?
A: I will do everything I can to make sure our citizens feel safe.
1. Public Safety: My top priority is to do everything I can, every day in office, to support law enforcement and our first responders. We must catch criminals and get them off the street.
2. Economic Development: Once we get control of crime, we must create opportunities for growth and create jobs.
3. We must do all we can to support young people in our community and create paths to successful lives
Q: What do you believe are the greatest challenges facing Memphis?
A: People are leaving Memphis right now. This is a major problem. We must have the courage to step up and do what is necessary for us to address this crime pandemic right now. The way I see it, nothing is off the table when it comes to addressing the crime in our city.
Katherine Burgess covers government and religion. She can be reached at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter @kathsburgess.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis City Council District 5 candidates on public safety, youth opportunity
